Month: May 2010

Snake skin is used for a wide variety of products – handbags, shoes etc. However, I still feel that the best use for snake skin is a quick trip down your throat and into your stomach.

I bought an entire snake to have a Full Course (TM) of snake – blood, gall, skin, and meat. I hear the skin is one of the best parts of the snake.

It was served as an appetizer and comes in spicy and sour tones. I really liked it. It tastes like sea cucumbers except it’s tougher and more chewy.

I give snake skin two thumbs up (would have given it three but I only have two hands). It kinda overshadows the snake meat. It’s served cold and I’ve gotta tell you, I ate one bowl of steaming rice just with this snake skin.

I paid about RMB 750 (about RM 375) for a whole snake in Guilin, China. The reason I did that was coz I wanted to drink fresh snake blood – none of the bullshit that comes in jars. How the fuck would you know if it’s from a snake if you don’t see it killed before your eyes?

Being a huge fan of authenticity, I got an entire snake and watched its reptilian head cut off with my own eyes before the chef drained all the blood into a glass containing a high proof local alcohol (excess of 50%).

There is a surprisingly small amount of blood in a snake, but it was enough to fill a glass and you’re supposed to down it in a single shot.

How does snake blood taste like? Well, it tastes like blood to be honest – all killer, no filler. Iron aftertaste to the max. I had an uncontrollable itch on my nose for a couple of days after this, whether it’s from the snake blood or the snake gall, I have no idea.

It’s supposed to have medicinal properties, but having pledged my allegience to Rx Incorporated, I don’t believe a word of it. I just wanted to drink snake blood warm from a freshly decapitated snake and proclaim that YES! I HAVE DRUNK SNAKE BLOOD. Now, I can say that with confidence since the slithery one was slaughtered before my eyes.

Yes, if you watched that last video, you’ll nominate me for the cover of Drunk & Disorderly. :p

I have enjoyed a very rich life and taken all the risks that comes with living life on the fast lane. I can’t say I have any regrets…if I had to go through it all again, I would have done the same thing. However, the only fallout that really got to me was when I was…er, asked politely to stay at a facility with limited access to the general population a.k.a incarceration. *runs out of euphemisms*

I have since then made it my personal resolution to not ever get into the same situation again. /cue “You’ll never take me alive!”

However, I have participated in a blogathon where we had to sit in an enclosed space for 24 hours in total. The only difference is that my fellow bloggers were not murderers or serial rapists (at least I don’t think they are ;)) and I didn’t have to watch my back every time I dropped something.

It was actually pretty fun, in hindsight.

There is an upcoming event where 4 bloggers will be physically confined to an enclosure and asked to perform various tasks. I don’t know what the tasks are but I can throw out a couple of suggestions to the event organizers!

Hold it in!

I actually saw this in those wacky Japanese game shows. The participants were forced to drink several liters of beer, stripped down to their loincloth and forced to sit in a tub full of water complete with ice cubes. The man who manages to hold it in the longest wins the challenge.

This was in winter and one memorable scene which still makes me laugh to this very day is one guy whose face was practically contorted in concentration, before deciding to throw in the towel.

He actually ran sideways like a crab to the toilet before the boos of the crowd made him rescind his moment of weakness and he retreated back to the tub. The expression on his face? Priceless! HAHAHA! These Japanese sure know a thing or two about making their tasks akin to torture.

Outrun the security guard!

Okay, now since this thing is being held in a mall I have a great idea for a task. Each blogger has to shoplift something from a specific store. There will the the usual CCTVs and security guards around but they won’t know which ones are the bloggers. The person who reaches the exit of the mall wins! However, if you get caught, you still have an option – break free from the guard and make a run for it!!!! The first blogger who gets to the mall exit wins (coz that’s where the jurisdiction of the mall cops ends).

Guess the exit!

This is a spin off from the second task and also inspired by those crazy Japanese game shows. Each blogger will be given free reign to run through the mall and try to exit the mall. Think Cube the movie. The automatic glass doors are all locked except for one, but the bloggers would not know which one it is.

The trick here is that every single blogger will have to run headfirst at full speed towards the auto glass doors – it has an element of luck to it so it can be a tie-breaker. If it’s the correct (operating) glass door, you’re off scot free. If it’s not, well, it’s time to break out the ice packs for that bruise on your head.

There will also be a contest running on Astro’s Facebook page starting on the 1st of June. It seems that one of the mechanics would be to comment on a moment when you wish you can record in your life. This is an easy one for me. I would choose my time with Stephanie – I was 24 and she was 29. She’s perhaps the only person I’ve ever truly loved in my life, so I can replay it over…and over…and over…again.

Oh well, back to the event, just be thankful that I am not the person who’s organizing the tasks. Haha!

I consider both Mike and Mira to be my friends and I’ve even shared the same room (but not the same bed la) with Nazuwan in Kuching but I’ve been asked to choose one blogger to support and that has gotta be:

She’s been an awesome friend and even invited me to celebrate Chinese New Year with her family last year in Ipoh so sorry guys, I’m going to root for Eiling. I know her sisters too – just bumped into Yiling a couple of days ago. I’ll be there the entire day to support her!

A good friend will come bail you out of jail, but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, “Damn, that was fun!”.

There are a lot of weird and wonderful creatures served with wine as a “tonic” in China. I had the chance to sample snake head wine in Guilin. It costs RMB 30 (which works out to about RM 15) per glass.

It is not “wine” in the classic sense of the word. There is no fermentation here. The Chinese word “jiu” means alcoholic beverage. These snake heads are actually preserved in some sort of liquid. The snake head is taken out, along with a tablespoon of the liquid inside those jars to produce:

Snake head wine!

It’s topped up with the legendary “kao liang jiu” – very high proof alcohol (in excess of 57% alcohol) and downed in a single shot. You’re not supposed to eat the snake head though – I enquired about the reason behind that and it seems that it’s quite poisonous.

Haih. Damn no mood to blog la. I went up to Uncle Lim’s domain armed with a bottle of Absolut Flavor of the Tropics which impaired my judgement for an overnight stay (and a bit of gambling on the side).

We went up pretty early – not check in time yet, so I went into the casino with a buy in of RM 6,400. I put RM 2,000 on Roulette and RM 300 on 24 or 25 (can’t remember) based on Naomi‘s advice.

I won the even odds, even payout, which nets me RM 1,700.

I should have left at this point. I wanted to go to Port Dickson, but all the rooms were booked, and actually made a reservation for Fraser’s Hill. Unfortunately, it was raining so after a bit of thought…Genting!

Now, if I had left at that time, I would have gotten a bit of pocket money minus the trip costs.

Unfortunately I made a second bet (also 2k) and lost, before switching tables and lost all of my initial RM 6,400 buy in.

This forced me to go to the International Room to withdraw RM 5,000 from my credit card. I was actually up at one point, playing Baccarat.

However, two bad decisions (going against the dragon instead of chasing it) with a RM 4,000 bet each time made me lose RM 12,000 (inclusive of credit card charges).

Now, if that is not bad enough, I went out, and was about to check into the hotel when I saw Maybank. My ethanol impaired decision made me withdraw RM 21,000 from my savings account.

THIS. IS. FUCKING. IT.

I wanted to put RM 20,000 on Black on Roulette (when there was a Red dragon going – 7 in a row) but I was in the First World Hotel casino where they only allow RM 12,000 max instead of the RM 20,000 max in the main Genting casino.

This is SINK OR SWIM. It is the deciding factor of whether I would lose big or win back all my losses plus a neat RM 7,000. It was the:

Moment of Truth (TM)

Photo discretely taken with my cell phone after I finished texting someone.

Look at the pile of chips on Black. Motherfucker. That’s all mine. It’s only 10k though.

The RED DRAGON (fuck you, cunt face) which I attempted to break was stronger than I thought it was. It turned out to be Red.

Lost 10k.

My obstination made me bet AGAINST the dragon again, with the last RM 10,000 bet on Black.

Yeah, bitch guess what? It was RED!

Total loss: RM 33,000

Fuck! I am allowed to use expletives in this post coz 30k is nothing to sneeze at. :(

The next day, I went on Rapid Roulette and the slot machines. The damn one armed bandit got me up to RM 700 with just a minute RM 400 buy in but how can I be content with that when I have lost so much?

Thus, I went to the Roulette table (the only one that can save me) and put RM 100 on 6 and RM 100 on 29. Yup, no points for guessing here. I lost both.

As Mike a.k.a foodcrazee put it, I “smelled blood” and went in for the kill. Hazardous coz the house ALWAYS wins.

If gambling was a game and there is a Save Mode I could have gone back to many places:

1. The initial RM 2,000 bet on Roulette and RM 300 on a number. That netted me RM 1,700 – more than enough for trip costs. I should not have been greedy. I should have left there and then and checked into the fucking hotel.

2. In the International Room, I was up by RM 11,000 and made a stupid RM 4,000 bet on Player during a Banker run (Banker dragon). I should have shifted to Banker. To compound the mistake, I made ANOTHER RM 4,000 on Player, which I lost as well.

3. My friend saw this table with a Black dragon on Roulette in my last ditch attempt to do a comeback. If I had gone to that table, this post would have been very different – it would have the title “COMEBACK KING!!! Won RM 7,000 after a huge loss. Hail to the fucking King baby”

4. In the International Room, I had a single, lone RM 1,000 chip and put it on 29. There was a HUGE influx of people changing money and placing their bets and I got very impatient and wanted to move to the next table. I should have…coz guess what? That table came out with 29. Motherfucker! I would have covered my losses and went out with a couple of thousands if that had happened.

However, that is gambling. It’s like Choose Your Own Adventure (remember those books?). If I had done things differently. If only:

1. I left when I won the first game. RM 1,700 net win, more than enough to cover trip costs. Yay!

2. I didn’t go against the dragon in the International Room. I would have won RM 3,000. Yay!

3. I went to a different table during my last ditch do-or-die RM 20,000 bet. I would have won RM 7,000.

IT COULD HAVE GONE SO DIFFERENTLY!!! I could have won.

Well, all that didn’t happen and it’s not a children’s book. I’m not even going to sulk coz hell, that’s what every loser says so I’m not going to say it.

The principles of gambling is “WHAT IF”. What if all that happened and I added more cash to my condo fund? That is the hook, that is the line, that is the sinker.

I lost RM 35,000 and that’s that. You can’t turn back the clock.

There goes my condo…and my trips…and even my fucking F&B.

T______________________T

On the bright side, perhaps eating bread and water would stop me from my daily drinking. I can’t afford to drink anymore. To be honest, I only have RM 107.35 to my name.

God-fucking-dammit.

Oh well, it’s all my own fault and I shall take all the blame.

I shall console myself with a phrase I learned in China:

It means “Money is a curse, spend it and earn it again“. ;)

All photos taken using the Sony Cybershot TX-5 except the crappy one discreetly taken on the Roulette table.

You know, milk has been around for ages, so much so that even the Good Book uses it as an analogy. I used to drink a 5 liter keg of fresh milk when I was in university in Melbourne. Every. Single. Day. I can’t help it, the milk over there tastes so fresh and creamy! I think of this as a graduation of sorts from when I was a kid. I loved milk even as a kid. I remember my dad buying a 1 litre pack of UHT milk every single day, which he never complained about since it’s considered Healthy (TM).

Yes, I have a weakness for all things creamy. I’m not the type of person who goes for low fat milk (tastes diluted to me) or skim milk (which is not even “milk” – if you remove all the fat, how can you call it milk?). It’s either fresh or full cream for me.

Half full or half empty?

Anyway, I had lunch with Jenny last week and she swears by Vitamin B – claims it improves her work. I Googled and found out that the riboflavin in milk not only increases metabolism (w00t!) but enhances the good ol gray matter (medical professionals call it nervous system function). I did not know that (or more likely chose to forget it, selective memory FTW).

Contrary to popular belief, milk is actually a great source of energy. There is a reason why cereal (which requires milk, unless you’re a frat boy at heart who eats it from the box) is a popular breakfast option. In fact, it is my Constipation Cure (TM). In my quest for better living through chemistry I have taken to:

Drinking milk with Manuka honey

I love this combination. The milk contains lactose, which provides a boost in your energy levels and the honey provides a reasonably sustainable sugar high. It tastes great too! You must try this, as previously mentioned, there is a reason that the Scripture has this analogy. I was at one point drinking several mugs of these per day due to my sister (who is in NZ) predictable gifts of Manuka honey every time she comes back.

Drinking milk from the bottle

Oh, how everyone hates this habit of mine. Haha! I believe in minimizing the washing up so I drink the stuff straight from the carton/bottle. The ice cold milk in the morning is thirst quenching and it also allows me to not have breakfast.

Either way, it’s perfect for those of us with an aversion to vegetables and goes against the “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” school of thought. It’s easier to drink something you like than eat something you hate.

World Milk Day is coming up on the 1st of June and in conjunction with this, Dutch Lady is going to attempt a record breaking event to encourage the consumption of milk dubbed “Largest Milk Drinking Event“.

I’m going to be part of this entry into the Malaysia Book of Records. It’s not something that happens everyday, so come one, come all to achieve this feat and maybe get your photo in the papers! It’s all happening at:

Venue: Pavilion KL Date: 30th May 2010 Time: 10:00 am

Dutch Lady will also be giving away free milk on that day, featuring two limited edition designs on their Chocolate and Low Fat packs. There will be an estimated 2,500 people at the event and with Dutch Lady Malaysia spearheading this effort, I have no doubt that the numbers will be met.

I’ve been swamped with work lately. Sorry about the lack of postings, but I’ve got something coming up which involves clubs (the kind you hit people with, not the place you get drunk and do something embarrassing you regret tomorrow) and rodents.

The famous Li River boat trip takes you down amazing limestone formations, one of which is depicted at the back of the RMB 20 (RM 10) bank note.

It is exactly the same scene, minus the quaint little boat of course, which probably decided to stop plying the route after the influx of larger cruise ships filled with camera toting tourists. ;)

Unfortunately, I set my ISO at 400, overexposing and ruining most of the Li Jiang photos. The ones that weren’t didn’t have the entire scene due to people unfamiliar with dSLRs adjusting the lens. *cries river of tears* Okay, that was an extremely bad pun even by my own standards. ;)

I have another backup cam which I used to take a proper photo but by that time we have passed the Yuan 20 place. I also look constipated in this picture.

The place is actually at Xingping, the Li River boat cruise takes you from Guilin to Yangshou. The limestone formations are called Karst formations, a very atas word which I had to Google to understand.

I got a mint copy of the RMB Yuan 20 bank note just for this trip and after my pose, a couple of domestic tourists asked to borrow mine to pose in the same way. Heh! Here’s what the RMB 20 note looks like at the back:

Compare it to the RMB Yuan 20 point on Li River!

It’s a good thing I paid RMB 10 (RM 5) for a laminated copy of the photo taken by the ship or I wouldn’t have a proper camwhore moment.

My dad has always believed in buying unit trusts and blue chip stocks as part of his portfolio of investments. He gave me shares for my 18th birthday in a certain F&B company (which isn’t performing very well) and have always encouraged me to diversify my investments. I have mutual funds and I’m getting a condo in June but currently my primary “investment” techniques involves heading up the hills, which isn’t very wise as I lost RM 11,000 just a couple of weeks back.

However, the oft quoted idiom “Like father, like son” does not apply to our family. My dad is a very conservative person and invests solely in stuff that involves low risk, with long term returns as his primary objective. I, on the other hand, have a natural affinity to terms like “high risk, high returns”. I do not like waiting too, so I like to see results fast.

When I was introduced to Fundsupermart.com I was immediately attracted to their 2% or lower upfront fee and online transaction capabilities. They also have a wide range of products you can ride on – they offer a staggering 130+ funds which includes emerging markets, commodities, energy and even gold and minerals!

The best thing about them is that opening an account as well as maintaining it is free of charge, so I’m going to check them out. You can choose to invest from as low as RM 100 monthly so it’s great for those new to unit trusts.

I must admit, I’m a newbie in this world too, but Fundsupermart.com offers an extensive guide online on how to invest as well as risk ratings, news, fund selector tools and even a fund returns calculator!

Since it’s all online, you get to have a shorter transaction time – perfect for those of us who works long hours and don’t have time to meet with traditional unit trust resellers.

This also means you can keep track of all your investments and buy and sell with a click of a button.

Money at your fingertips! I just need to learn a bit more about what they have to offer.

Fundsupermart.com is having a seminar at The Apartment @ the Curve on the 30th May 2010, 1 pm – 3 pm and it’s free to attend! These investment seminars usually charges a fee to attend so I think it’s great that theirs is FOC. I’ll be going to learn more and if you’re interested, all you’ve got to do is be signed on to your Nuffnang account, complete the sentence “I want my financial freedom redefined because…” and leave a comment here.

You can also learn more about them by joining their Facebook page here.

Okay, the first thing on the agenda when I arrived in Guilin is to eat the famous Gui Lin Mee Fen (rice vermicelli) with horse meat. However, that proved harder to find that I initially thought. Rats too for that matter, but that’s another post.

Anyway, after walking 1,000 miles and nearly getting run down by several cars and buses (it’s left hand drive here in China) I decided to consult a person from the industry that knows everything about anything obscure or illegal – hard to find cuisine, the oldest profession in the world, substances, basically The Travelers Guide to a New City (TM). Your friendly neighborhood taxi driver.

Within minutes (and a RMB 10 fare, which is RM 5, pretty damn cheap cabs over here) I was on my way to the oldest Guilin Mi Fen with Horse Meat establishment in town. It has reputedly been around for about 40 years (as told by two different sources) and caters to the locals instead of tourists (just the way I like it).

Alas! How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! In the past, horses were used for transport, war machines by knights, riot control by mounted police, and prized stallions on the racetrack. It has now been relegated (at least in China) to food. Heh!

The Gui Lin Mi Fen is not rice vermicelli as we know it, it looks more like rice noodles to me. You are free to add as many condiments, pickles and spices as you want. I highly recommend their chilli flakes – Guilin is known for its spicy food so go wild with this one.

Gui Lin Mi Fen with Horse Meat is a soup dish, which is not what I usually eat, but since it’s the local specialty, I tasted it and pronounce it GOOD. The spring onions adds a lot to the taste of the soup while the peanuts contribute that additional texture to this dish. Best of all, it only costs RMB 6 (RM 3) for a large bowl.

I love it, mostly coz of the horse meat. Horse meat can best be described as something of a cross between beef and lamb. It’s sweet and has a nice gamey aftertaste and it’s surprisingly lean.

Mmm…equine meat!

Posted: 7:19 am China Time (Guilin is in the same timezone as Malaysia)